James Spann and warnings

TV Meteorologist James Spann says NEVER rely on outdoor sirens for warning ... and he's right.

The outdoor sirens in Altus are used for specific events according to the Emergency Operations Plan drafted by your Local Emergency Planning Committee and adopted by your local elected officials.

They are outdoor warning devices.  They are not designed to warn you when you are inside with the windows shut with the TV turned up loud so you can hear it over your MP3 player plugged into the ears.  They won't warn you if you can't hear the ambulance, police car, or fire truck behind you.

THREE ways to get warnings in the area ... please pick three ways ... Here's some ideas.

The City has Blackboard Connect.  Make sure you ask for the SMS or Email alerts.

There's the amateur radio Skywarn group.  There is no charge to listen with your scanner and some groups feed their signals out to RadioReference.com

There's the TV stations, radio stations and even newspapers are publishing electronic information.  See the media list on this page.

The National Weather Service has the all-hazards radio station located just south of Altus on a high hill with a tall tower on it serving North Texas and Southern Oklahoma.  Receivers can be obtained by a number of local vendors.  Get Specific Area Messaging Encoder (SAME) receivers, if you want to sleep at night.

Give me three ways to get an alert because, really, do you LIVE outside?

With Spring Storm season just around the corner, Citizens should become aware of information they need to be informed and prepared.

Warnings

Warnings are issued in Altus in the following manner.

1. NOAA Weather Radio with Specific Area Messaging Encoder are alarmed by the National Weather Service to give AUTOMATIC audible and, for the hearing impaired, a visual alert.
   
2. Sirens around the City will sound as activated by Emergency Management or 911 personnel, when there is a reason to sound the siren. There is NO all clear signal. If the Citizen hears a siren and is outside, the Citizen should quickly move inside. If the Citizen hears the siren and is inside, the Citizen should NOT go outside.
   
3. Cable Television Override provides an audible message to subscribers of Cable Television.
   
4. Citizens with cellular phone and/or paging service with email capabilities are encouraged to subscribe to services such as offered by EmergencyE, The Oklahoma Emergency Management service, or MyStateUSA.
   
5. Citizens are encouraged to listen to local radio stations and area television stations for updates on local storm conditions. A portable, battery-powered AM radio, FM radio, or television set is a must-have for the personal disaster kit.
   

Warnings versus Watches

Warnings are issued when time is short. Watches are issued for hours at a time.

Clicking the Weather link on the Emergency Management web page will give the Citizen both the current conditions and any watches or warnings in place for the area.

Personal Disaster Kit

After preparing a plan using http://www.fema.gov/areyouready as a guide, the Citizen should put personal disaster supplies in a kit. The Calendar on the EM web page gives the Citizen a systematic approach to building this kit.

As always, your emergency management department, including a cadre of dedicated volunteers, stands ready to assist the Citizens with answers to questions about mitigation, response, recovery, and preparedness for disasters, both man-made and natural.